less known dog breeds
 

So I'm thinking about getting a dog in the next year or so. I've done a decent amount of research, but was hoping others might have some thoughts on the lesser known breeds of dogs.

For instance, I just found out about Cane Corso's today, and they're definitely interesting. I also only learned about Tosa's a few weeks back, and like what I hear.

I'm looking for a breed thats intelligent, athletic, mid to large size, and can play with others nicely...so many of the bigger dogs that are strong minded don't seem to want to play fair with smaller dogs in the dog park, and I have enough time making sure my girlfriends rottweiler doesn't eat an overzealous puffball.

So, for those who DON'T have a golden retriever, lab, german shepherd, etc, tell me something about your dog!

Re: less known dog breeds
 

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So I'm thinking about getting a dog in the next year or so. I've done a decent amount of research, but was hoping others might have some thoughts on the lesser known breeds of dogs.

For instance, I just found out about Cane Corso's today, and they're definitely interesting. I also only learned about Tosa's a few weeks back, and like what I hear.

I'm looking for a breed thats intelligent, athletic, mid to large size, and can play with others nicely...so many of the bigger dogs that are strong minded don't seem to want to play fair with smaller dogs in the dog park, and I have enough time making sure my girlfriends rottweiler doesn't eat an overzealous puffball.

So, for those who DON'T have a golden retriever, lab, german shepherd, etc, tell me something about your dog!

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I was actually thinking about getting another dog. Upon doing some research I found this:

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

They seem smart, good looking, protective, and loveable. I would probably get a female as they are slightly smaller.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Sennenhund.jpg
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

They also have lateral breeds (similar to this one) that are smaller in size, serve the same purpose, and are relatively the same looking.

FYC

Re: less known dog breeds
 

Boxers > all, of course, but they're not really all that rare. Rhodesian ridgebacks are pretty badass and, while not extremely rare, are not all that common. Similarly, I also like weimaraners quite a bit. I've also got a bit of a thing for german shorthaired pointers, but I'm not sure they're the best pets (although Wikipedia claims they're good family dogs, so maybe they are good pets).

Re: less known dog breeds
 

I'm embarassed to admit this, but I was watching Martha for a few moments today while channel surfing because she had this weird looking thing on her show that reminded me of Barkley from Sesame Street:

The Puli
http://www.maine-coon-katzen.at/images/amarok/puli.jpg

They also talked about a few other strange dog breeds, like the Leonburger which is a huge dog that was apparently bred to look like a lion.

More info

There is also a thread in El Diablo's forum that is pretty dog centric and there are some nice breeds in there, but I don't know how unusual they are.

Re: less known dog breeds
 

If you want a dog that is a great retriever, easily trained, medium sized and not too common (outside of Canada), you might be interested in the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. My dog is 1/2 of this breed and she was easy to train in very complicated tasks.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/HOU...ymbols/dog.htm

Re: less known dog breeds
 

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...this medium size dog tolls, or lures, the game, rather than retrieving it. It entices waterfowl to get within range of the hunter in his blind.

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At first I thought the dog's bark sounded like "arf-quack, arf-quack", but then Wiki:

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The hunter stays hidden in a blind and sends the dog out to romp and play near the water, usually by tossing a ball or stick to be retrieved. The dog's crazy antics and white markings pique the curiosity of waterfowl, who swim over to investigate. The act of enticing or luring game to approach is known as tolling. When the birds are close, the hunter calls the dog back to the blind, then rises, putting the birds to flight, and shoots them. The Toller then retrieves any downed birds.

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Re: less known dog breeds
 

if you can stomach smaller dogs i am very happy with my two minature pinschers. very athletic, smart, loyal and have very animated faces [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

they love people and other dogs.

Re: less known dog breeds
 

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Does anyone have a fox as a pet? I probably got the idea from OOT but the more I think about it, the more awesome it seems. Anyone know enough about foxes to comment as to their petworthiness?

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dont get a fox, get this (my dog)

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/5...9932780zo2.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6...9966125by2.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9...3991532hy3.jpg

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Shiba Inu, japanese dog

Re: less known dog breeds
 

I have a Carolina Dog, and she is amazing-- far and away the best dog I've ever had. Medium sized, full of energy, loving and EXTREMELY intelligent. Carolina dogs are recently redomesticated (feral dogs that were discovered and then domesticated). They maintain a strong pack mentality, and are very loyal but at the same time maintain some independence- she's able to amuse herself almost without end. She was very easy to train (took us 1 day to housebreak her), and she never destroyed anything but her own toys. She plays extremely well with other dogs too. They can be hard to find, but from what I understand, other similar breeds (such as the Canaan Dog) have similar temperaments.

(not my dog, but she looks almost exactly the same) http://www.gotpetsonline.com/picture...a-dog-0003.jpg

Re: less known dog breeds
 

I've got a Weimaraner. They're very regal looking mid to large size dogs. You may recognize them as the dog who formed letters on Sesame Street. They're great with other dogs, the 3 I've had over my life have been very playful with other smaller dogs. They're incredibly loyal and relatively intelligent, but you have to be careful as they are subject to overbreeding. As an added bonus they're fantastic with kids and have a very mild temperment.

http://www.northern-weimaraner.org.uk/images/harris.jpg